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May 2 Looking For Love In All The Wrong Places

Until recently, I had no idea how many lonely brigadier generals there were in the world.

But at least 10 guys who claim this rank have sent me Facebook friend requests in the past few months. Their profile pics show clean-cut, good-looking middle-aged men in uniform. In the “about” section of their profiles they all claim to be widowed or single and living in either Afghanistan or other far-flung locales.

And they’re all desperately seeking women on Facebook.

Call me unpatriotic, but I ditched their queries. They bore all the earmarks of catfish accounts. Set up by weirdos who have stolen the photos and identities of others and who swarm social media looking for suckers.

I thought about these cyber-creeps this week when Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that his social media monster is getting into the dating business.

Gee, what could possibly go wrong?

Facebook exercised such exemplary care of our personal information in the past, why wouldn’t we trust them with truly intimate stuff needed for a dating profile? Besides, they’re promising that this time they won’t use the information to target ads.

Yeah, sure.

Frankly, this is an awful idea being shopped around at a terrible time. Zuckerberg is audacious to even suggest it right now.

According to wired.com this is how Facebook's matchmaker feature will work:

“Facebook will use a unique algorithm to match you with potential dates, based on ‘dating preferences, things in common, and mutual friends.’ You will also be able to find romantic interests via shared Groups and Events. For example, if you're attending a concert, you'll be able to ‘unlock’ your profile, so that potential matches who have said they're going to the same show can see it. The social network says it's going to start testing Dating later this year, and that it's not going to use information from the feature to target ads.”

It’s been 30 years since I went on a date. I'm no longer an expert on the subject. Back in the '80s people hooked up the old fashioned way. On the beach. On blind dates. At weddings.

Even so, we found lots of losers.

But trusting Facebook to find a match? You’ve seen the company’s track record.

BOOKMARKED:

Reviews of this novel have been mixed and I didn’t expect to enjoy it when my book club settled on The Miniaturist for May. Once I jumped in, though, I found a fascinating story set in 17th century Amsterdam, a city bustling with merchants and craftsmen capitalizing on raw materials from the Dutch colonies. (A reminder that this little country was once a player on the world stage.) The tale is infused with Alice Hoffman-like mysticism, which means readers must be willing to suspend their disbelief. Predictable, yes. But mesmerizing, too.

FRIENDS OF KERRY:

Check out Sam's new ebook, "Scrap Art Alphabet" it's now available on iTunes. 64 illustrations made with found objects.

Lewis McGehee

May 24 – Taste Unlimited Bayville Live on the Lawn 5:30-8

May 25 – Wyndham Surf Club 6-9

May 26 – Surf Rider Marina Shores 7-10

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